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Today’s headlines
It comes less than 48 hours after a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks as the man suspected of shooting President Trump. One person died and two were injured in the incident. Speaking from the Oval Office yesterday, President Biden said the country needed to “lower the political temperature” while condemning the assassination attempt. He has ordered an independent review of national security measures taken at Trump rallies and promised to publicly release the findings. Here’s what we know so far about the alleged shooter and the man who was killed trying to protect his family.
Former President Donald Trump was ousted from a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Evan Vucci/AP
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Evan Vucci/AP
- 🎧 NPR’s Ryan Lucas tells the story first up The FBI said it was investigating the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism.” But the ideology associated with the accused shooter has not yet been determined. Officials have recovered two key pieces of evidence: the alleged shooter’s gun and cell phone. Lucas said unlocking the phone is an “urgent focus” for investigators as they try to build a timeline of what Crooks did and where he led up to the shooting.
- 📷 View photos from the shooting process and its consequences.
The Republican National Convention opens today in Milwaukee. Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who was not initially invited, will now speak there as well.
- 🎧 The assassination attempt is certainly on the minds of many Franco Ordonez said. Increased security is expected at the four-day event, but no major changes to plans are expected. A former Republican National Committee spokesman and activist veteran told him he would focus on how the shooting is discussed. “Will this be a moment of reflection and responsibility, or more of a rallying cry with more intense rhetoric?”
- ➡️ Follow the latest news from the RNC This week’s NPR live blog.
Misinformation and disinformation have begun to spread in the wake of the shootings. Some have claimed without evidence that the Biden administration was behind the assassination attempt. Others, including liberals, claim without evidence that it was orchestrated by the Trump administration. But this confusion is not new. It happened during a presidential campaign already rife with conspiracy theories.
- 🎧 Even if we start getting a clearer picture from sources like the FBI or journalists, we’ll still see suspicions, NPR’s Lisa Hagen says Crucial things are being hidden from the public. “This is a core tenet of conspiratorial thinking,” she explains. Extremism experts tell NPR’s Odette Youssef that there’s concern that actors with bad intentions will take advantage of this moment of extreme tension. “As we wait for the truth to emerge, the anger snowballs against various targets,” Yusef said.
What’s new from NPR
by Katie Simon, Embedded Supervising Editor
Tested, a new limited series from NPR Embedded and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
NPR
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NPR
Women’s sports are (finally!) booming – This year marks the first time in Olympic history that men and women will be represented equally.
For the past ten years, I have been researching a story that highlights the barriers women face in sports From the moment they are allowed to compete in the Olympics. Even some of the most dedicated fans don’t know that for over a hundred years, female athletes have been undergoing various forms of gender testing to confirm that they are female. For example, from the 1960s to the 1990s, every woman participating in the Olympics was required to have a certificate proving her gender. We don’t know how many women were excluded from the movement because their biology didn’t match any of the tests popular at the time—from physicals to chromosomal testing to hormone screening.
For the past five years, I have been traveling around the world meeting athletes affected by gender testing policies. For example, Christine Mboma, who won a silver medal in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, now takes medication to lower the naturally produced testosterone in her body. The rules she was following that were released last spring kept her from competing in the 2023 season while she works to get back to her old form. Other athletes have chosen to defy the rules and go to international arbitration courts that have not been kind to them in the past. Still, there are some who have completely given up and given up on their Olympic dreams.
Mboma and other athletes share their stories In “Tested”, The latest limited series from NPR’s documentary podcast Embedded and Canada’s national broadcaster CBC. The first episode airs today. You can listen to it here. Find new episodes of this six-part series every Monday and Thursday for the next three weeks.
life advice
Want to be a better ally to people with disabilities? That’s it.
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Want to be a better ally to people with disabilities? That’s it.
smartboy10/Getty Images
July is Disability Pride Month, which aims to raise awareness for the approximately 61 million adults in the United States who have at least one disability. Although disability is common, many people don’t know how to talk about it or interact with people with disabilities. in her book Disability Revealed: What to Know, What to Say, How to Be an Ally, Disability rights activist and author Emily Ladau shares her thoughts on how people without disabilities and people with disabilities can work together to build a more inclusive and accessible world.
- ➡️ Learn and use the correct language. It’s best to ask what terms are appropriate for people based on their experiences and identities.
- ➡️ One size does not fit all. Disability may manifest and affect individuals differently. Remember, no single experience reflects the experience of an entire community.
- ➡️ Being an ally requires ongoing effort. “It’s a constant learning process, which can be challenging, but when we know better, we can do better,” Ladau said.
3 things you need to know before you go
A 150-million-year-old Stegosaurus specimen fossil was on display at Sotheby’s New York auction house. The fossil, dubbed “Apex” by the paleontologist who discovered it, is expected to fetch between $4 million and $6 million at auction, making it one of the most expensive fossils ever sold.
Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
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- Sotheby’s to hold live auction of Jurassic Era Stegosaurus dinosaur fossils Wednesday is called “Apex.”
- To help combat period poverty in Tampa, Florida, Bree Wallace began installing a food pantry called Period Poverty. The Tampa Period Food Pantry provides free menstrual products in public spaces to those in need. They are like a little free library.
- Grocery store prices have mostly leveled off. However, leveling off does not equate to falling prices. That means many Americans may still be feeling the cumulative effects of earlier price increases.
This newsletter is sponsored by Susan Newyen.
